Henry Kissinger and the American Century

Author’s note: My Atlantic magazine essay, “In Defense of Henry Kissinger,” posted here, appeared over a decade ago on Henry Kissinger’s 90th birthday in May 2013. It was originally meant to be an obituary. Though, it is as relevant now as it was then. A key point that I would emphasize is that one must judge historical figures on the assumptions and perspectives that existed in their day, not in ours. Thus, this essay especially manifests the sensibilities of the Cold War. In the summer of 2002, during the initial buildup to the invasion of Iraq, which he supported, Henry Kissinger told me he was nevertheless concerned about the lack of critical thinking and planning for the occupation of a Middle Eastern country where, as he put it, “normal politics have not been practiced for decades, and where new power struggles would therefore have to be very violent.” Thus is pessimism morally superior to misplaced optimism.